My Dark Tower

Several years ago - I can't remember how many, perhaps three or four, but it doesn't matter - my daughter gave me for my birthday a copy of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, volume VII. When I asked her why she had bought that book, she told me 'because I know you like big books'. She was very young - perhaps ten years old or slightly less - and only had in mind giving her daddy a gift he would like. How would she know the journey that gift would set me upon?

I did not read the book immediately, but put it away. From time to time, when looking for something to read, I would take it out, but it didn't feel like the right choice, so I put it back. I was curious, but not curious enough. Then in the early days of 2011 I picked it up and decided to read it. Almost as quickly I realized I could not begin with the final volume of a seven-volume set. I happened to have an iPad with the Kindle app, so I used it to download the first volume in the series, The Gunslinger. Over the months that I moved through each volume, I traveled frequently, and would not have brought paper copies with me - they are just too heavy. That I finished the series so quickly is due entirely to having each volume on my iPad.

I was not consumed by the book, but I was pulled in. The first volume spun a wonderful tale and I proceeded to read through all seven volumes. I read them all on the iPad with the exception of volume VII. When the time came, I pulled that wonderfully large tome, with the marvelous and mysterious cover illustration, from my closet.

The Dark Tower series is wonderful, for so many reasons. The story is compelling and seemingly endless in plot twists. The characters are unforgettable. I especially like the notion of the ka-tet, the family formed between the main characters. It was such a compelling element that I cried in volume VII when the ka-tet began to fall apart.

While the Dark Tower series is a mixture of fantasy, science fantasy, western, and horror, in the end it is just about human beings. I see Dark Tower in all the everyday things that go on in my world. That's probably why I like the series so much. Dark Tower is probably not for everyone, but if you lie the first volume, as I did, you'll probably be pulled in. Thanks, Mr. King, for this wonderful tale. And thank you, Nadia!

Bolts & Nuts

I received the following email today. Perhaps they are confusing bolts & nuts with viruses? It's clearly spam, but one of the most amusing ones I've ever received.

I contacted you to know if you do sell Bolts & Nuts ? Please find my inquires below.

Specification
Plow Bolts
3/8-16 X 1 Plow Bolts / Grade 5 / Zinc
Quantity:2,500 Or (20 Cartons )

1/2-13 X 1 3/4 Plow Bolts / Grade 8 / Plain
Quantity:5,000 Or (10 Cartons )

Regular Square Nuts
1/4-20 Regular Square Nuts / Steel / Hot-Dip Galvanized
Quantity:20,000 Or (10 Cartons )

1/4-20 Regular Square Nuts / Steel / Zinc
Quantity:20,000 Or (10 Cartons )


Kindly Email me with total pick up price plus tax for both Plow Bolts and Regular Square Nuts without adding shipping cost to the total cost. In case you don't carry this size or types please let me know the ones you do sell with their prices. Also methods of payments you do accept in your establishment. Visa Card, Master Card, Amex.

Have An Awesome Day.

Solution to corrupt WAV

This past Friday my Zoom H4 battery died in the middle of recording TWiV #8. I had the recorder plugged into AC power, but the outlet strip was turned off. I turned on the power and we resumed recording. However, later that day, when I downloaded the .wav file from the H4, it would not open in Audacity or QuickTime. It was corrupted because it hadn't been saved properly when the H4 lost power.

The solution came from a google search: open the file from within Audacity as a 'raw' file. It opened properly and was completely editable. Saved. I didn't want to lose the nice conversation Dick and I had.

So in case this happens to anyone else, or if you have a corrupted audio file of any kind, try opening it in your DAW as a raw file.

It Ends Now

Got this from Daring Fireball. It could have been written about the current President. At the end, Gruber wrote: "It ends here, today". 

Hunter S. Thompson, September 1972:

The polls also indicate that Nixon will get a comfortable majority of the Youth Vote. And that he might carry all fifty states.

Well… maybe so. This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves: finally just lay back and say it — that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.

The tragedy of all this is that George McGovern, for all his mistakes and all his imprecise talk about “new politics” and “honesty in government”, is one of the few men who’ve run for President of the United States in this century who really understands what a fantastic monument to all the best instincts of the human race this country might have been, if we could have kept it out of the hands of greedy little hustlers like Richard Nixon.

McGovern made some stupid mistakes, but in context they seem almost frivolous compared to the things Richard Nixon does every day of his life, on purpose, as a matter of policy and a perfect expression of everything he stands for.

Jesus! Where will it end?

I have a dream

I brought my daughter Nadia to work with me this past Tuesday. It was a school holiday. In the car, she asked me what day in the history of the world would I re-live. I could not come up with anything, so I asked her what hers would be.

She said she wanted to be at Martin Luther King's"I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, DC. 

I asked her why. She said it was so amazing every time he said "I have a dream" and his voice got higher and higher.

Turns out she has an mp3 of the speech on her computer, and loves to listen to it.

I know she learned about Mr. King in elementary school one year. I think it's very moving that she remembers and understands. It brought tears to my eyes.

London Birds

London Birds, originally uploaded by profvrr.

I think this is a great photo of Devin. I took it in London, across from the Houses of Parliament, in June this year. He was eating something out of a cup. As I snapped it three women walked by. He's so detached, he's cool.

Krakatau

What is the loudest noise on human record?

None other than the explosion of the volcano Krakatau (or Krakatoa, as I knew it in my youth) in 1883. The explosions were heard on Rodriguez Island, 4,653 km west, and in Australia, 3,450 km east.

As a child I was fascinated by Krakatoa. I recall reading over and over "The Twenty-One Balloons", by William Pene Du Bois, about a Professor who lands on the island and experiences the eruption.

What I learned today is that 50 years after the explosion, a new island emerged from the sea, called "Anak Krakatau", or child of Krakatau. Apparently it is growing 20 feet per year. Here is an article on the interesting development of this island. Wired also has an interesting summary of Krakatau, since today is the 225th anniversary of the 1883 eruption.

Eisenhower and the Complex

I'm reading Dave Winer's blog today at Scripting News, "Obama does mean change, here's why". He writes "There are truths to the way our country works that are never talked about on the national stage. Change is possible at that level, but those industries will still have a seat at the table when Obama is President. Eisenhower warned of it in his farewell speech. It's serious stuff. Bush gave into these people because he is one of them. His VP is a defense contractor."

So I had a look at Ike's farewell speech. Here is the relevant text:

"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations."

And a bit later on:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

It's scary to think how prescient he was. It's also scary that our current President is completely under the control of this complex (as have been previous Presidents, no doubt).

Winer writes "We know at least that Obama is not one of them. Change? Big change."

I hope he is right. But the influence of the complex will always be there, as long as people continue to have wars. As they will.

Oil Rigs

Banner pulled by an airplane flying over the ocean yesterday, just off Lavallette:

"McCain wants oil rigs here...do you?"

Brilliant.

iPhone Dream

I have decided not to buy the new 3G iPhone. I think it's a great phone, but too expensive - the monthly plan, that is. Even the cheapest plan, after taxes, will be nearly $90 a month. Since the features are not essential, I will stick with my current RAZR until it fails.

Last night I had a dream about buying an iPhone. I was walking past an Apple store, when on a whim I walked in and got on line to buy an iPhone. Fortunately I woke up before I was able to buy it.

I suppose this dream means I really want one. Or all the iPhone coverage is embedding the device in my mind.

Happy Birthday

From Thursday until today I spent my time at a boy scout camp, where my son was for the week. Boy Scouts do a lot of singing and skits, as well as outdoor activities. Sometimes it can get corny, but for the most part, the boys are into it, and I think it probably builds social and public skills.

On Friday morning, July 4th, breakfast was particularly nice. First one troop sang 'America the Beautiful'. Then, after grace, we sang happy birthday, recited the pledge of allegiance, and then sang the Star-Spangled Banner. All in recognition of the birthday of America. It was really nice, and I must admit, I became teary eyed. I'm not sure, but maybe being with a few hundred boy scouts all singing their hearts out for our country had something to do with it.

I'm the first to criticize all the bad things our country does, but I also feel we have a unique history worth celebrating. Plus, if you are going to live here, by all means criticize away, but also have faith in your country.

Winer on Obama

Dave Winer, the person who created RSS, on Obama:

"Obama was the perfect candidate to compete with a woman for President, for the same reasons he's a perfect black candidate. His anger is suppressed, the same way it was for Jackie Robinson. Obama is the Jackie Robinson of politics. In the same way the first black major league player had to soak up everyone's rage and express none of his own, no one votes for an angry black man,, at least not yet (we will eventually) and anger expressed by a man for a woman is not tolerated either."

I think this makes perfect sense. See more at hs blog, Scripting News.

Sitges

Sitges, originally uploaded by profvrr.

Was in Sitges, Spain for Europic 2008 last week. Great meeting, and lovely seaside town. Excellent red wine, too. Here's a photo of me and Bert Semler by the sea.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Grovel

On Twit 135, Jerry Pournelle said, if you want to have a perfect marriage, "you have to learn how to grovel."

Cereal bowl in the shower

Why is there a cereal bowl in the shower?

Blowup

I watched Blowup last night, the 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. I had not watched it since college, when I thought I was going to be a photographer, and watching this movie was a rite of passage for that profession.

It's a fabulous movie. The camera movements are wonderful. The setings, particularly those with grass, are so lush and well lit. It was like seeing the film again, because I had completely forgotten it.

But what I want to write about is only a small scene in the film. The photographer is in his studio, sitting at his desk, looking at two girls who want him to photograph them. He has a coin in his hand, and he is flipping it among his fingers, trying to impress the girls.

The same flipping of the coin among fingers also occurs in Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It happens late in the film, in the grotto, and it's Captain Jack who does the deed with the gold coin.

Coincidence? Something that happens a lot? Or a salute from Gore Verbinski to Antonioni? I think the latter, but see for yourself.

Raining buckets

It's been raining buckets here, in the northeast, since some time last Saturday night. It only just stopped this afternoon. Everyone is talking about their wet basements.

It reminds me of the time, maybe 11 years ago, when it was also raining buckets, and our window wells began to fill with water. The raindrops were huge. We got two buckets (the real kind) and started bailing out the wells. Furiously, in the dark, the rain knocking us very wet. Our one year old son watched from the glassed front door for a few minutes. Then he went back into the house and got one of his plastic Halloween containers, and came to the door, and held it out. As if to say, 'here's another one'.

I'll never forget it - it was maybe the first time I realized he had some consciousness, that he could observe and think and reason. It made me happy to think he could do that. It was also very, very funny.

Junipero Gin

A few months ago, I read in Esquire magazine that gin is the new hot drink. As you might know, vodka has been hot for a number of years, with many new varieties spawned. Gin has always been a sleeper, perhaps because it's a bit different, as it is brewed with added botanicals according to the maker.

One of the gins recommended by Esquire is Junipero. They said it might be America's best gin. It wasn't easy to find but finally a few weeks ago I bought a bottle. It's very different from most other gins - not at all sweet and the botanicals are unusual. But I like it very much - I drank it on ice, with just a drop of vermouth. The latter isn't really necessary - you should leave the flavor alone. But it's not cheap - about $35 for the bottle. You won't want to make gin and tonics with it either; savor the taste on its own.

Junipero is made by the same company that makes Anchor Steam beer - which in itself is outstanding. You can find out more here.

Black Squirrel

I went to Princeton this past Saturday to work on the third edition of our textbook, 'Principles of Virology'. It's always nice to go there early on Saturdays; it's very calm (bucolic, as my colleague there would say) and nearly deserted.

This past Saturday, while walking to Thomas Lab, I saw a black squirrel on the grass. I thought it was some sort of mutant, but apparently black squirrels are quite common in the northeastern US. There is even a photo of one at Wikipedia, taken on the Princeton University campus! Here is the link.

Apparently black squirrels are nothing more than dark versions of the common Eastern Grey Squirrel. So they are not so special after all.